


änglavakt

by sugarfina



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Physical Abuse, Sexual Violence, i love yamakeru more than i love myself why am i doing this to them, taichi is the ideal bf, takari are bffs, takeru is lost, takeru is obv central to the plot but taito are the main focus, yamato is unraveling at the seams
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:02:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22149127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarfina/pseuds/sugarfina
Summary: Even angels fall from the sky.Or:Wherein Takeru is in an abusive relationship and Yamato can’t reach through to him. Thankfully, he has Taichi by his side.
Relationships: Ishida Yamato | Matt Ishida & Takaishi Takeru | T.K. Takaishi, Ishida Yamato | Matt Ishida/Yagami Taichi | Tai Kamiya
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	änglavakt

**Author's Note:**

> i usually write for kpop fandoms but i recently got back into digimon and just had to do this.
> 
> i wanted to write a story about domestic abuse that focused on the people indirectly affected by it and my thoughts immediately went to the takaishida bros. their bond has always stuck with me as one of the purest, sweetest yet most complicated ones in fiction growing up. yamato and takeru are my two favorite characters in all of anime and i wanted to explore their bond in a new light. taito is also my digimon otp and the idea of simultaneously exploring their relationship and how taichi can comfort yamato in the midst of all the hurt... i just had to. 
> 
> this will focus mainly on the yamakeru and taito relationships so naturally, yamato will be at the very center of it.
> 
> please enjoy.

The ashtray had seemed exceptionally tantalizing this time of night.

There was something about the smoke filling his lungs that soothed Yamato, though he supposed it wasn’t especially strange since the entire point of cigarettes were to — quite literally — blow off steam. To him that was their function, anyway.

Yamato wasn’t much of a smoker, not really. He did struggle with stress and cigarettes were always a welcoming way to deal with it, but for the most part, he managed to go days without smoking. Was that an accomplishment? Or was it just the norm? He rarely found the time to contemplate the norms and customs around cigarettes; all he knew was, in this moment, there was no easier way to dull the drumming in his head, the ache in his heart and the tremble of his hands.

For a moment, Yamato recalled days that had long passed. He recalled sunshine and warmth and laughter, large blue eyes that looked into his as if they were entranced, love and adoration dancing in those sweet blue pools, unconditional love and trust and naïvité combined in a swirl of sky blue to form the very epitome of purity. 

Yamato took another drag of his cigarette.

The sky was a starless tapestry of darkness, moonlight shining dimly through a veil of clouds. It seemed almost as though it was mocking him, reflecting his state of mind so perfectly.

_Sunshine…_

_Blue eyes…_

**_Trust._ **

Yamato stubbed out his cigarette and went back inside the small apartment, the ashtray soon forgotten along with the empty cigarette pack that had been wrapped in plastic foil at the start of the evening.

* * *

“He still hasn’t called you back?” came a warm, matter-of-fact voice as Yamato closed the door to the balcony. It was less of a question and more of a statement.

Taichi.

Yamato’s cool blue eyes locked with warm chocolate brown ones as his boyfriend came out of the shadows of the tiny kitchen, the normally hot-blooded male as calm as a lake as he spoke, “You have to sleep. School tomorrow, remember?”  
  
Oh, the irony of Taichi of all people telling him this.

That was an odd thing about Taichi, though — he was normally passionate to a fault with a glaring inability to know when to shut up, yet when Yamato was having his more depressive episodes, the brunette’s normally hot-blooded self seemed to give way to a calmer, more rational force that Yamato hadn’t known even existed until the two of them decided to get serious about their relationship, eventually moving in together.

Hikari loved to point out how the two of them would always bicker like an old married couple yet complemented each other almost perfectly where it really counts, Takeru always quick to join in on the light teasing.

_Takeru…_

“I get that you’re worried, but you have class tomorrow and we both know you can’t afford to let this get in the way. You _really_ need to sleep, babe,” his boyfriend stressed, but his tone was gentle, patient. When did Taichi grow so damn diplomatic?

The dark bags under Yamato’s eyes were a perfect testament to Taichi’s words, but the blonde was stubborn and couldn’t, wouldn’t, let this go unless he got some form of response from his little brother. Takeru hadn’t responded to his texts for days or called him back and the older brother was worried sick. He knew it was irrational to be so torn up over something like that but Takeru was usually quick to reply to him and the younger brother knew how worried Yamato could get. 

Even now that they were both approaching adulthood, that possessive need to protect his little brother refused to yield, especially now that he was always on edge knowing that _that_ guy was alone with Takeru. His hands were shaking again.

Taichi, noticing his boyfriend had gotten shaky again, was quick to cover Yamato’s hands with his own. Taichi’s hands were somewhat bigger than Yamato’s, stronger, which was pretty ironic given that Yamato was the one plucking away at a bass guitar while Taichi played football with, well, his feet and not his hands.

“Look, get some rest and we’ll go see him after our classes end tomorrow, alright? We’ll make sure he’s okay. Just, please,” Taichi’s hold on Yamato’s hands tightened, “Get some rest.”

Yamato allowed Taichi’s words to sink in.

The blonde knew his boyfriend was right, he was being irrational, but he also knew that Taichi understood how he felt to some extent. Taichi was protective of his little sister as well and could sympathize with Yamato’s need to check up on his little brother; he wasn’t as overprotective as Yamato but the understanding was there. 

They would see Takeru tomorrow…

“... Okay,” Yamato agreed at last. Taichi was relieved to know he’d gotten through to his troubled boyfriend, but he knew Yamato was still shaken up and might struggle with falling asleep. That’s fine, he understood. 

Taichi would be lying if he said he didn’t understand where Yamato’s worry was coming from. Ever since Takeru got together with _that_ guy, the ever social butterfly had been much more distant and wouldn’t see them nearly as often as he used to. Yamato may be the possessive one but Takeru adored his brother right back and was always happy to see him, and the two were rarely apart as much as they had been lately. Yamato’s worry was completely justified.

Taichi was right in his suspicions that Yamato would struggle to fall asleep, the blonde stirring next to him and frequently reaching out to check his phone despite it not vibrating (a function Yamato had checked _several times_ to make sure it was switched on). There wasn’t much Taichi could do besides hold on to his boyfriend and try to soothe him as best as he could, and pray they would find Takeru tomorrow to (hopefully) ease Yamato’s mind.

Neither of them slept very well that night.

* * *

Yamato struggled to focus during the lecture. His mind had gone nonstop since the night before making long regurgitated lists of all the things that could possibly be wrong with Takeru, most of which included Takeru’s boyfriend.

Neither Yamato nor anyone else in the family or friend circle knew very much about the guy in question, other than the fact that he was a few years older than Yamato and Taichi (which in itself made something ugly twist in his gut) and was graduated from the university Takeru was currently attending. Takeru had moved in with the guy only a few months after the two had first started dating (yet another thing that made Yamato feel sick) and despite the man having been a part of his younger brother’s life for that long, he had kept his distance from Yamato and their parents, as well as Takeru’s friend circle. The guy was a complete mystery, one that made Yamato feel absolutely sick to his stomach. 

Takeru, while no longer a naïve child, was still too wide-eyed for his own good, and would undoubtedly give anyone the benefit of the doubt (possibly until it was too late). Everyone in his friend group would often remark on how comically overprotective Yamato was of his little brother, but he knew Takeru better than anyone else and even if the expression of his protectiveness could seem over-the-top at times, it wasn’t without reason, he told himself.

The blonde’s hand clenched so hard around his pencil it could’ve snapped in two.

_Just a few more hours…_

Just a few more hours and he would see him.

* * *

The two young men met up by the north entrance of the university building, wordlessly nodding at one another before making their way towards the station to go to Takeru’s university in tense silence. The blonde allowed the brunette to grasp his hand, squeezing reassuringly as they made their way in the direction of the subway. Yamato wasn’t usually one for public displays of affection but Taichi’s warmth soothed him and God knew he needed that right now.

They rode the subway train in silence, Yamato’s mind a raging storm and Taichi’s a calm lake that was starting to ripple in the shakiness of an impending tempest. Yamato’s hands were clenching and unclenching and his state seemed even worse than Taichi had initially anticipated.

When they reached their destination and exited the train, Yamato was walking so fast he might as well have been sprinting and Taichi struggled to keep up in the shifting crowd.

Going to Takeru’s university was pretty much a shot in the dark because Yamato didn’t have his schedule and since Takeru wouldn’t reply to his texts and Hikari hadn’t heard from him in days either so she was just as helpless, it all felt pretty hopeless. But Yamato was desperate and it was his best shot at the moment.

Once they reached their destination, he and Taichi decided to split up. Campus was fairly big but Yamato had met up with Takeru there in the past and was fairly familiar with what classrooms Takeru’s lectures were usually held in. He didn’t have to wander around for long, though, because he soon ran into a guy he recognized from Takeru’s basketball team.

“Hey Kimura,” Yamato was familiar enough with the guy to speak comfortably, having also seen him at a few parties where his band had performed and exchanged a few words here and there.

The guy in question looked surprised to see him, after all they were only marginally acquainted and it wasn’t every day that the frontman of Knife of Day popped up at his university. “Oh, Ishida. Hi.”

Yamato skipped the chitchat, too focused on the task at hand.

“Have you seen Takeru?” Yamato’s voice was tense but he tried to keep his voice level.

“Takaishi?” The guy seemed caught off guard, but why the hell would Yamato show up here if it wasn’t for his little brother? What else could he possibly want? The blonde tried to calm himself, it wasn’t this guy’s fault that Takeru hasn’t responded to him in days, but he was growing impatient with every beat. 

“No, he hasn’t showed up for practice for days. I haven’t seen him around campus at all,” The guy still seemed perplexed by Yamato’s sudden appearance, “He never skips practice and it’s weird for him not to let coach or anyone know.” Kimura paused before asking, “Is he okay?”

_Why the fuck do you think I showed up here._

Yamato didn’t have the time nor patience to chat with this guy any more, instead huffing a quick thanks before turning away and whipping out his phone, quickly typing out a message to Taichi.

  
  


**_To:_ ** _Yagami Taichi_

_A guy from the team says Takeru hasn’t showed up for days and hasn’t called in sick or anything. Meet me by the south entrance._

  
  


With that, the blonde hurried off in the direction of the entrance in question, fists clenched tight from both frustration and stress, hiding the way his hands trembled.

* * *

Taichi hadn’t gotten very far when he got the text from Yamato. He didn’t know as many people as Yamato did nor did he recognize anyone, and frankly he wasn’t expecting much in the way of help. Going there was mostly to calm Yamato down and show him Takeru was fine but he was nowhere in sight and the hope of randomly bumping into him was pretty dim.

Yamato’s brief text may not have looked especially worried to an outsider but Taichi knew Yamato and could read the distress from between the lines.

The tan brunette hurried over to the meeting spot and when his eyes met Yamato’s, he looked even worse than Taichi had prepared himself for. Those icy blue eyes were swirling with distress and fear and desperation, his worry worse than ever and it seemed to only enhance the dark bags under his eyes, his skin looking even paler than usual. Yamato’s posture was always dignified and quite elegant, but now he looked so tense and frail Taichi imagined someone could’ve snapped him in half with their fingers. His boyfriend looked like a paper doll, pallid and frail.

Before Taichi had the chance to offer his lover any comfort, Yamato’s voice cut through the space between them like a knife, sharp and determined.

“We’re going to his apartment,” by ‘his’ Taichi was fairly sure he was referring to Takeru’s boyfriend and not Takeru himself, “ _now_.”

* * *

The apartment in question was a walking distance away from the university, Yamato having had the address saved on his phone after he’d pestered Takeru to share it shortly after his younger brother had moved in. He had never actually been there, his little brother had only moved in recently and neither him nor his boyfriend seemed very keen on visitors. That in itself was strange; Takeru was normally so warm and welcoming to others, and Yamato had thus concluded that it was the boyfriend’s wishes and not Takeru’s.

“This is it.”

Yamato and Taichi had stopped before an apartment complex so tall it might as well have pierced the heavens. Aside from its massive height it didn’t look out of the ordinary, but the neighborhood was one of the more attractive ones in Shinjuku. Yamato wasn’t sure why but the knowledge that Takeru’s boyfriend could afford such a residence pissed him off.

The two young men made their way inside the impressive building and to the floor where Takeru was supposed to live now. The interior of the building was polished and Yamato supposed the inside of the apartments themselves would be the same. 

Once they reached the address listed in Yamato’s phone, the blonde didn’t skip a beat in ringing the doorbell, practically punching it. Taichi noted the password lock next to the doorbell.

Nothing.

Yamato pressed the bell again. And again.

Still nothing.

Taichi could feel the frustration and anger radiating off of Yamato. The blonde’s fears seemed to meet him more and more with every press of the bell and the lack of its response. Then, Yamato looked up and his eyes were met with the obvious —

— a surveillance camera.

_Of course._

The blonde wanted to kick himself for not noticing. His worries were clouding his mind and vision, blind to both the abstract and the concrete, leaving him an unoriented mess that couldn’t even take in what was right in front of him properly. 

His piercing blue eyes fixed themselves on the tiny camera, his anger and frustration unmistakable as he yelled at it, “Takeru! Open up!” His voice quivered and his throat seemed to close up, it was as though he already knew he would get no response. “Takeru! I know you’re in there,” the most fearsome thing was that he _didn’t_ , “Open the goddamn door!”

The tanned brunette beside him knew there was no point in intervening. They both realized with each passing beat that the door would remain closed, yet Yamato wouldn’t, couldn’t, stop yelling at the little camera above them and Taichi didn’t have the heart to stop him.

Taichi felt bad for it but he himself was growing frustrated with Takeru. It wasn’t like the younger blonde at all to just close himself off from the world and he was worried for the boy too, of course he was, but seeing the way it ate away at Yamato was beyond painful.

_Why couldn’t Takeru just reply to Yamato’s text messages if he didn’t feel up to facing him?!_

The two young men stayed there for what felt like eternities on end, Yamato’s hope in tatters and Taichi balancing between worry and anger — worry for Yamato and (to a slightly lesser extent) Takeru, anger at Takeru for being the cause of said worry and anger at himself for being helpless. 

Taichi knew the pale blonde would prefer to stay there all night if that was what it took, but they both knew it was futile to wait around any longer. Takeru wasn’t going to come out and Yamato’s worry wouldn’t lessen. 

It was dark by the time they exited the building, the sky as cloudy and starless as the night before.

Taichi led Yamato back to the station and then home to their cramped little apartment, picking up takeaway because Yamato wasn’t in the state to cook and neither him nor Taichi were in the state to ingest the latter’s awful cooking. Despite ordering his favorite, Yamato barely ate anything, too preoccupied with thoughts about his brother and what could possibly cause him to shut his older brother out like this.

Yamato was much quicker to fall asleep that night, utterly exhausted both physically and mentally from his hunt after his little brother. Taichi regarded his boyfriend as he slept… Yamato looked so pale and vulnerable, the worry still evident in his ragged breathing and the rise and fall of his chest, how his body twitched and trembled even while asleep… 

Taichi knew there was little he could do. All he could really do was let his lover get his much-needed sleep and promise him they would keep trying tomorrow.

He was torn between his worry for Takeru and frustration at the boy for leaving his older brother in such distress, though the brunette knew it wasn’t normal for the younger brother at all and there was something gnawing at the back of his mind that _something_ was wrong.

Taichi fell asleep to the image of Yamato’s pretty face, closed eyes twitching and rosy lower lip trembling, and to the sound of his lover’s shallow breathing.

* * *

Later that night when the two young men had long fallen asleep, Yamato’s phone answering machine received a message.

_“Niisan! I’m so sorry about not replying to you until now. I’ve been sick for days, barely left the bed… I’m really sorry if I worried you, I swear I’m fine. I’ll be sure to come by soon once I’m better. Again, I’m really sorry for worrying you… Please take care. I love you. Takeru.”_

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> "änglavakt" is the swedish word for "guardian angel". it could directly be translated as "angel guard" or "angelic guard".


End file.
